


Some Wishes Come True

by mariuspondmercy



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Getting Together, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-18 17:35:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13686483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariuspondmercy/pseuds/mariuspondmercy
Summary: When Cosette realises that things between Marius and Courfeyrac might not be as platonic, she decides to take matters into her own hands.





	Some Wishes Come True

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a little Valentine's Day fanfic for my friend Hannah, who's just a fantastic person ♥

Something always twisted pleasantly deep inside Marius’ chest whenever Courfeyrac laughed. It didn’t matter if it was a soft chuckle, a deep belly laugh, an ungrateful snort or a drunk giggle. He once asked Enjolras if Courfeyrac’s laugh made him happy. Enjolras has responded with a bright smile and an enthusiastic nod of his head. So maybe that was just Courfeyrac - someone who made people feel warm and comfortable and wanted and happy and loved. 

He’d questioned his platonic feelings for Courfeyrac on more than one occasion. During their first holiday, for example. Marius might’ve lived under a rock for most of his formative years, he might not have had any friends up until his early 20s, but he had always been quite aware of the fact that men could love men and women could love women (even if that knowledge had come from his grandfather saying horrible things). They took a trip to the South, happy to just be for a while, to spend time together in the sun. Marius couldn't deny that what he had felt when Courfeyrac, illuminated by the setting sun, emerged from the ocean, wet and dripping, smiling brightly, hadn’t been entirely platonic. 

Scratch that. 

There had been nothing platonic about it. 

Then there had been the Christmas party incident that year - not mistletoes. They were not American, after all, even though Bahorel had spent a year in the States. No, it was more the fact that Courfeyrac, drunk and sleepy, found immense joy in cuddling with Marius. And kissing Marius’ cheek. Forehead. Corner of his lip. It had been torture! And the Look (yes, the capital L  _ was _ necessary!) Grantaire had given him had told Marius that they were both in the same boat. 

Marius’ birthday at the end of February had done nothing to squash his crush. Or was it more than a crush? At this point, it probably was. Courfeyrac was gorgeous in every way. How he lit up when he wished Marius a happy birthday, his dimples showing when he handed Marius his present. God, Marius never knew he’d had a thing for dimples but fucking hell, if Courfeyrac smiled at him one more time with those dimples, Marius would kiss him right then and there. 

Of course, Marius saw the dimples, saw the smiles and the warmth in Courfeyrac’s eyes many and more times. Of course, Marius never kissed him. There were times when Marius was nearly certain Courfeyrac felt the same. Some days, he was not so sure. It was never hard to read Courfeyrac or his moods because his friend was a very open, very honest person. Yet he never said anything, so Marius consoled himself with staying Courfeyrac’s friend, soaking up every bit of attention he could get. Every hug was catalogued and filed away, every smile went straight to Marius’ heart (and other parts as well, if he was honest), every kiss was treasured. The kisses were never passionate or something similar - they were kisses to cheeks, foreheads, corners of the lip, noses, temples. All very innocent, nothing out of the ordinary. Courfeyrac was just as friendly with the others, kissing Bossuet’s forehead or curling up like a kitten in Jehan’s lap. That was just who he was and Marius soaked it all up. 

Living together was salvation and hell all in one. He got to see Courfeyrac sleep-soft and topless but he also had to see Courfeyrac sleep-soft and topless. 

Living with Courfeyrac also meant that Marius got to see his friend at his worst. Sleep-deprived, hungover, cranky, anxious - Marius still loved every version of Courfeyrac. It didn’t matter, there was always something reassuring and comforting about him. On more than one night, they shared a bed, not necessarily only because one of them was feeling like crap. It had been an eye-opener to Marius that, despite their differences in personality, they still had the same crippling fears. He’d learned a lot about himself through Courfeyrac. 

Living with him also meant to see an array of beautiful people Courfeyrac had taken home after a party at their flat. Courfeyrac loved humanity and humanity, it seemed, loved Courfeyrac. But Marius couldn’t complain, he had no hold over Courfeyrac, had no right to get jealous. Plus, Courfeyrac had told him that sex and love were two entirely different things. Marius couldn’t quite wrap his head around that. He’d never sleep with anyone he didn’t love and so far he’d only ever loved a single person in his entire life. He could probably get to sleep with Courfeyrac - after all, Jehan and Grantaire had done it, too - but… that wasn’t quite the same, was it? So Marius took deep breaths when a one-night-stand or new partner came into their carefully constructed lives and went on with his life as usual. 

He’d met Cosette the summer after knowing Courfeyrac for two years, properly met her. He’s had a class with her before, at uni, but they had never talked until he had accidentally run into her at the library, spilling all their books and both their coffees. 

If asked, Marius would say it was a magical moment. If not asked, he’d still say it. 

Cosette was —  _ everything _ . She was light and fire, she was a windy breeze on a hot summer day. She was comfort and adventure all at once. His feelings for her struck him by lightning. While he logically knew that you could love two people at once - see Musichetta, Joly and Bossuet (God, it took him forever to wrap his head around that concept) - his feelings for Cosette were entirely different than his feelings for Courfeyrac had always been. So, maybe, what he’d felt for Courfeyrac hadn’t been what he had believed it to be. Maybe what he and Courfeyrac shared was simply a deep, deep friendship. Maybe Enjolras and Combeferre felt the same about Courfeyrac. Maybe Grantaire felt the same about Éponine - Marius had no idea. He didn’t know how friendships worked but he knew that Enjolras, Combeferre and Courfeyrac were incredibly close, as were Grantaire and Jehan and Bahorel. So, maybe what he had mistaken for romantic feelings were just strong platonic feelings. After all, he truly loved Cosette. 

And Cosette truly loved him. There was something about Marius, something that made her heart beat quicker whenever they so much as looked at each other. Of course she’d noticed the lingering looks he’d shot her way before they’d officially met. Of course she’d known. She wasn’t dumb. It had been bliss, the first time they’d kiss. Usually, she wasn’t one to kiss on the first date. It was simply a rule she’d adopted - maybe even influenced by her father, who had warned her time and time again about the folly of man - man meaning all men, not humanity. Especially young men, young students who enjoyed the first wind of freedom under their newly grown wings, who believed that freedom had to be shown in every which way in their lives. So Cosette had been careful with men (less so with women), but Marius was safe. He was Marius, there was no other way to say it. 

It was so simple but the simplicity held all kinds of complicated truths. 

She’d been taken in so easily by Marius’ friends, by his found family. It was heartwarming. They were rascals, all of them in so many different ways, but Cosette came to love them quickly. Sometimes, in dark moments, she worried what would happen should she and Marius ever call it quits. Would she lose all her new friends? Would Marius lose some? Would they both lose them or could they work it out together? She didn’t like thinking about it, especially not since she hardly ever felt as if her and Marius would go separate ways at any point in their lives. 

They were meant to be, everyone could see it. It was written in the stars and in their hearts. But Cosette could also see the way Courfeyrac’s gaze lingered on Marius for a few seconds too long to be anything but platonic. She saw their hugs, she saw the way Courfeyrac lit up whenever Marius showered him in attention. They were incredibly familiar with each other, familiar in a way that Marius was with no other but her, familiar in a way that Courfeyrac wasn’t even with Combeferre or Enjolras. 

Cosette might be many things, but she was not a coward; she knew the issue had to be addressed for her to make sense of everything. It had taken her over a year to realise that something else was going on, something she couldn’t quite understand - it made her uneasy. Not Marius or Courfeyrac; they were perfectly wonderful men. She enjoyed spending time with Courfeyrac alone - he’d become a close friend even quicker than others, thanks to his charming nature and the fact that Marius and him lived together, so Cosette was bound to see him the most out of all of Les Amis. There was just something she couldn’t put her finger on, some feeling deep inside her.

“Marius?” She asked one night, softly into the dark, tucked against Marius’ back with their legs tangled together. 

“Yeah?” He yawned lightly but squeezed the hand resting on his hip to let her know he was paying attention to her. 

God, she loved him so. 

“I was wondering… and it might be very out of line of me to ask you, or very inappropriate, so please tell me if that should be the case. Please don’t feel pressured. I…”

Marius turned around in her arms and kissed her forehead gently. “Whatever you’re wanting to ask, go ahead. I have no secrets from you. Not, like, bad secrets or secrets I’m hiding on purpose.”

Cosette hummed softly and pressed a kiss to his sternum. “Was there ever anything between you and Courfeyrac?”

“Uhm…”

Cosette could tell that Marius blushed bright-red, even in the darkness of the room. She knew from the shift in the air, from the way Marius stiffened just the slightest bit, from the way he breathed a tiny bit quicker than before.

“So… like, before I met you, I was very much convinced that I was in love with him. But what I feel for you is entirely different than what I felt for him. And what I feel for him is entirely different from what I feel for any other friend of mine. I was very, very certain. And then you came and I was very, very confused but also very certain? Certain I love you, confused if I ever loved him.”

“Maybe it just feels different because it’s different genders? It feels different for me. I know I think more when I fall for a man, but feel more when I fall for a girl. Like… men are in my head and they are light and soft and light blue. Women are deeper, somewhere around my stomach, They are heavy, a dripping red or purple. Maybe it’s similar for you?”

“Huh.” Marius snuggled closer and kissed her softly. “I will have to think of it and then I’ll get back to you on that topic. I never thought about that before. Should I ask Grantaire?”

“If you want to ask Grantaire, go ahead.”

“Tomorrow, maybe. But… why did you ask?” 

“It just sometimes feels like there’s more between you and I couldn’t catalogue it. I like security, but I wasn’t worried you were cheating or something. I was just wondering, because Courfeyrac is very pretty and you’re very close.”

“He really is pretty,” Marius sighed. “I believe I was in love with him, but I have to re-examine it. It might just be that I felt like I was in love because he was so nice and kind. The first person to ever really show me that I was worth something. Kinda like Éponine thought she was in love with me.” 

“You will figure it out eventually. And even if not, you’re allowed to enjoy the feelings without labelling them.” Cosette ran a gently hand through his hair and kissed the tip of his nose. “And it’s okay if you still have feelings for him, okay? I’m not mad or jealous because I trust you. Which might be a dumb thing to do but I believe you’d rather talk to me honestly than lie and go behind my back.”

“I would never,” Marius promised softly. Another yawn escaped and he chuckled softly. “Sorry. I’m just… so tired from the week. We can stay up and talk.”

“Too tired.” Cosette curled up in his arms. “I only wanted to ask. Thank you for trusting me with it all.”

“Thank you for trusting me with the way you feel and your curiosity and concerns.”

It took Marius two days to mull everything over before he addressed it again over a coffee during a free period. 

“So,” Marius started, sipping on his tea. “I talked to Grantaire and he said men feel different than women to him, too. So I talked to Bossuet and Joly. They confirmed it as well. And I did some thinking and came to the conclusion that I did love Courfeyrac. It might’ve felt different than with you, but it’s nonetheless true. And a part of me might always love him, one way or another.” 

Cosette smiled brightly. “That’s great. He’s fantastic and I’m glad you’ve got someone for whom you feel so much, apart from me.”

“I thought about telling him but that would be awkward, wouldn’t it?” He shrugged his shoulders. “I believe it felt different with him because… because it developed slowly. It simmered and never erupted whereas you came into my life with full force and took my breath away. And you continue to do that, while Courfeyrac was always the one who gave it back to me.” 

“It wouldn’t be awkward or silly to tell him exactly that.” Cosette squeezed his hand gently. “The first time I met him, I was entirely blown away. Different from when I met you. I was Ride Or Die with you from the second I met you. But Courfeyrac… He enchants, if that makes sense? He’s the sun and you’re the sea.” 

Marius grinned. “Yes! He’s the sun and you’re the air! We should really tell him how much we appreciate him.”

She nodded slightly but tilted her head. “I’m not sure if that would do much good. I’m nearly certain he’s in love with you, so maybe we’d only hurt him.”

“Nah, he’s not in love with me. He’s never been shy about pursuing the people he liked. Then again, we’ve been together for a while… maybe it’s a recent thing. Then he wouldn’t say anything. Nah,” Marius laughed. “There’s no way.” 

Cosette disagreed but she didn’t want to dismiss Marius’ thoughts. She merely took in the blush on his cheeks and ears - something needed to be done about that. She needed clarity; Marius deserved clarity.

At least that was what Cosette told herself when she asked Courfeyrac for a coffee a few days later. It was nothing unusual, they hung out together alone often by now. They were comfortable around each other, the sort of ease Cosette had only experienced with Marius so far. Not even with any of her exes. That alone made it worth to pursue the feeling, the wonderment she felt about the situation. 

“You look like there’s something on your mind,” Courfeyrac smiled the second she entered the coffee shop. 

It was testament for how well Courfeyrac knew her that he noticed such seemingly unimportant things, such tiny shifts in his friends’ moods and behaviours. 

Cosette laughed lightly and nodded. “There is, but I don’t think it’s something bad. Let’s grab coffee first?”

“And a pastry?” 

“Definitely a pastry,” Cosette confirmed. 

With two coffees and three pastries, they sat down at a window seat on the upper floor. They stayed quiet for a bit, soaking each other in, gazing over Paris in the rain. 

“Okay, I’m too impatient,” Courfeyrac laughed after a while. “Spill it, please?”

Cosette hummed and gently tapped her bottom lip before leveling Courfeyrac with a calculated gaze. “Are you in love with Marius?” 

Courfeyrac choked on his coffee and coughed, staring at her with wide eyes. “Uhm… I… Cosette…”

“I know you’ll tell me the truth,” Cosette smiled, “because we’re friends. And it’s okay if you are. I’m not jealous or angry or whatever you believe I might be.”

“I do love him,” Courfeyrac sighed. “I’ve loved him since the time he curled up in my bed and whispered truths about his life while drunk off white wine. I loved him even more in the morning when he groaned and complained and whined but thanked me for the good evening and the heart to heart. I’ve probably loved him since way before that and I still love him. But I would never, ever try and get between the two of you.”

“I don’t worry about that.” Cosette gently grabbed his shaking hand and squeezed it. “I just wanted to know. It’s a strange situation but it’s something we three need to figure out so we know how to deal with it. But I can promise you that our friendship will not break over it.”

Courfeyrac took a shaky breath and nodded. “I’m so---”

“No, you don’t have to be sorry. It’s not like you can choose whom you love. I don’t mind, honestly. I’m a little glad because it’ll make Marius happy in case you decide to tell him.”

“I don’t think that would be a good idea because then I’d also need to tell him that I kinda have the hots for his girlfriend.” 

“I’m not his property and he knows I find you attractive.” Cosette shrugged her shoulders and smiled at him. “Would you like for the three of us to get together and talk about it?”

“Yeah, that would be good. Thank you. For being so understanding and all.”

“Of course. You’re my friend, our friend, and it’s just so important that we’re honest to each other. Especially since the two of you live together and especially since I realised that there’s more going on between you. Again, not jealous, I’m really not worried about anyone being stolen away or Marius cheating. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Cosette smiled softly and leaned over to hug him tight. They dropped the topic for the remainder of their coffee date; just gossipping about students they both knew, teachers they’ve both had, stuff that had happened at the last ABC meeting. Still, they decided to tackle the issue of their situation as soon as possible, so Cosette followed Courfeyrac to his and Marius’ flat. 

The two of them were sprawled on Marius’ bed when Marius came home. Courfeyrac was napping, Cosette’s hand in his hair while she read a text for her course. 

“Hey you,” she greeted Marius quietly. 

“Hey yourself,” Marius smiled, bending down to kiss her softly. 

After a short moment of hesitation, he pressed a quick kiss to Courfeyrac’s forehead as well. Casual affection had never been a problem between the two of them, but it was something else with the new-found knowledge of, well, basically everything. Cosette scooted over a little, making room for Marius to join them on the bed. In the process, Courfeyrac woke up, groaned, and buried his face against Cosette’s skirt. She laughed softly and tugged gently on his curls. 

“Marius is home.”

Courfeyrac only hummed in acknowledgement and reached out his hand for Marius to take. Marius chuckled and squeezed his hand softly. 

“I like this,” Cosette smiled. 

She leaned against Marius, who wrapped her into his arms without letting go of Courfeyrac. 

“I like it, too,” Marius said. 

Courfeyrac shifted and set up. He rubbed his eyes with his free hand and yawned lightly. “So… should we talk about it?” He asked gently. “Cause I like this, too. And I already know that I’ve loved Marius for years now. It hasn’t gone away yet and I doubt it will go away anytime soon.”

Marius blushed furiously and hid his face against Cosette’s shoulder. 

“I love you, too,” Marius mumbled. “But I don’t know how these things work.”

“I don’t think it’s that hard,” Cosette said. “Joly, Bossuet and Musichetta make it work.”

“So that’s the direction you want to take?” Courfeyrac asked. “And you’d be in as well?”

“Yes. Marius and I talked about it already and we agreed that we’d be in for the long run. Though I propose that you and I need to go on dates.” Cosette gently tapped Courfeyrac’s nose. “We need to get to know each other better, don’t you think? If you’re interested in me in that way, of course. Otherwise we need a new plan. I’d be happy to step aside and be in this with the two of you without actually being in it.”

“No no no no.” Courfeyrac grabbed her hand quickly. “No, I… I enjoy spending time with you. A lot. I think it’s not quite there yet, but I’m certain that we’ll get there quickly with a few dates.”

“There’s probably gonna be a few misunderstandings along the way,” Marius said. “Especially when it comes to navigating everyday life and… uhm… well, sex. And just… I’m worried I might get jealous.”

“Just talk to us if it happens.” Courfeyrac smiled at him. “We can figure that out, too.”

“Okay.” Marius nodded softly and hummed thoughtfully. “Can I kiss you?” 

“Yeah,” Courfeyrac breathed. 

He leaned forward, kissing Marius softly. Courfeyrac gently ran his hand along Marius’ jaw, drawing him a little closer. Marius smiled into the kiss, beaming at him when they separated again. 

“I see, Cosette taught you a lot about kissing,” Courfeyrac teased, eyes shining. 

Cosette laughed and pressed a kiss to Courfeyrac’s cheek. “He was that good when I started dating him. A natural talent, I’m telling you.”

“Lucky me, then,” Courfeyrac grinned. “So… are we counting today as a date for the two of us, then?” 

“I’d love that,” Cosette smiled. “I’d love that a lot.”


End file.
